Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio looked on course for re-election on Monday after the electoral commission said he had a clear lead with 60 percent of the votes counted.Bio had garnered 55.86 percent of ballots cast, more than the 55 percent required for victory after Saturday’s first round of voting.The incumbent’s 1,067,666 votes put …

Sierra Leone president well ahead in vote countMon, 26 Jun 2023 17:33:58 GMT Read More »

Russian mercenary group Wagner has been seen for years as an armed extension of Moscow’s influence in Syria and Africa but these overseas operations have now been called into question by its leader’s failed revolt against the Kremlin.After calling off his troops’ advance toward Moscow, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin is expected to go into exile …

Russia mutiny raises questions on Wagner overseas operationsMon, 26 Jun 2023 14:14:38 GMT Read More »

Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday signed into law a bill that raises taxes on a wide range of items, the presidency said, defying criticism that it will pile more economic hardship on citizens.The new tax package was approved by parliament last week and will double tax on fuel to 16 percent and introduce a …

Kenya’s Ruto signs contentious tax bill into lawMon, 26 Jun 2023 09:40:02 GMT Read More »

Police in Sierra Leone fired tear gas at the main opposition party’s headquarters on Sunday evening, authorities said, as voters awaited the results of a fiercely fought general election.Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) presidential candidate Samura Kamara said on Twitter that live bullets had also been fired at his office inside the party headquarters in …

Police fire tear gas at opposition HQ as Sierra Leone vote tally continuesMon, 26 Jun 2023 01:18:38 GMT Read More »

Vote tallying was underway in Sierra Leone on Sunday, the electoral commission said, as the opposition claimed a lack of transparency following fiercely fought general elections a day earlier.Tallying, which consists of adding up counted ballots from each polling unit at the regional level, was taking place in the capital Freetown as well as in …

Vote tally underway in Sierra Leone electionSun, 25 Jun 2023 18:49:27 GMT Read More »

Fighting on Sunday between rival Sudanese generals in Darfur killed at least a dozen civilians, said a doctor in the devastated region.Speaking from the capital of South Darfur state, the doctor said fighting there had led to “a provisional toll of 12 civilians killed in Nyala”.But the source — speaking anonymously for security reasons — …

Sudan war kills 12 more in Darfur fighting: doctorSun, 25 Jun 2023 18:11:38 GMT Read More »

Al-Shabaab jihadists have killed five civilians, some by beheading, in eastern Kenya, a witness and a police source told AFP on Sunday.The attack occurred on Saturday around 7:30 pm (1630 GMT) in the villages of Juhudi and Salama in Lamu county, close to the Somali border, the source said.”Five people were killed. The victims had …

Jihadists kill five civilians in east Kenya: witness, police sourceSun, 25 Jun 2023 15:32:24 GMT Read More »

Vast crowds of robed Muslim faithful walked solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Sunday to begin the biggest hajj pilgrimage in several years, in the heat of the Saudi summer.Islam’s holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshippers from 160 countries during the annual rites …

Massive crowds circle Kaaba as hajj begins in Saudi heatSun, 25 Jun 2023 14:23:09 GMT Read More »

The amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism draws its name from the Zulu word for dung beetle — a diligent species that fulfils a crucial role.The tiny South African non-profit specialises in delving into political corruption — “digging dung and fertilizing democracy,” its editor-in-chief, Sam Sole, said with a chuckle in a recent interview with AFP.Sole, …

Investigative outlet sets key test for media freedom in S.AfricaSun, 25 Jun 2023 09:27:56 GMT Read More »

Vote counting began in Sierra Leone on Saturday following a mostly peaceful general election despite a late start in some polling stations, as the opposition denounced alleged irregularities.President Julius Maada Bio is seeking a second term amid a crippling cost-of-living crisis that sparked deadly riots last year.Twelve men and one woman are vying for the …

Sierra Leone votes amid cost-of-living crisis, delaysSat, 24 Jun 2023 18:47:49 GMT Read More »